Windshield wiper



Sept. 12, 1939. L. 'w. WATERS WINSHIELD WIPER Filed Feb. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V ENTOR: Lawrence WWai eV- s,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 12, 1939.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE" WINDSHIELD WIPE]! Lawrence W. Waters, .Loe Angeles, Calif. Application February 28, 1938, Serial No. 193,095 1 Claim.. (Cl- 15253) This invention relates to windshield wipers for motor vehicles. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a windshield wiper which will wipe practically the 5 entire surface of the windshield of an automobile.

Another object is to provide a windshield wiper of the character stated which is operated by a crankshaft rotating in one direction.

A further object-is to provide a windshield wiper 10 with a speed regulator and governor.

Other objects and advantages-will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings which form apart ofthis specification l5 and in which:

. Fig. 1 is a fragmentary'front view of an'automobile with my. invention applied thereto for wiping the windshield of the automobile.

Fig. 2 is a horizontafl section of Fig. 1 taken on 20 line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of my wiper members and the arm on which said wiper member is mounted.

Fig. 4.is a'frontview of oneof the spring cranks 5 for actuating one of the wiper members, the crank being partly broken away to show its spring.

' Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of said spring crank taken on line 5-.5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 6-6 .30 of Fig. 1 showing the crankshaft anddoublecrank for operating the two wiper units of my windshield wiper.

Fig. '7 is a vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 showing one of the wiper actuating arms 35 and guide means for said am.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section takenon line 88' of Fig. 7.. I

Fig. 9 is .a vertica1 longitudinal section of the speed regulator and governor of my windshield 4 wiper;

Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical-section taken on line III-J of Fig. 9.

Fig. llis a transverse vertical section taken on line H--ll of Fig. 9. 45 Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in all of the views, I and 2 indicate a pair of wiper units, the unit I being mounted on an automobile 3 for wiping the 50 left panel 40f the windshield 5, and the unit 2 being mounted on the automobile for wiping the right panel 6 of said windshield. Each wiper unit I and 2 includes a wiper bar 'I, an actuating rod 8, to oneend of which is con- 55 nected a bracket I carrying'saidwiper bar, a

spring crank 9 connected to the other end of said actuating rod, and a guide ID for said actuating rod. Each spring crank 9 comprises a drum ll formed with a crank arm l2, said drum being formed with bearings l3 and I4 in its rear and 5. front walls respectively, through which bearings extends a stud journal l secured at its rear end in the transverse wall l6 of the automobile 3 by a nut [1, whereby the crank I is ioumaled on said stud journal. Within the crank drum I is a coil spring l8 which is coiled around the journal l5 and is secured at the inner end at I9 to said journal and at itsouter endat 20 to the cylindrical wall 2| of said. drum ll. Each guide l0 comprises a, fulcrum disk 22, formed with a stud shaft 23 journaled in the rear wall of a housing 24, and a pair of suitably spaced concaved rollers 25 journaled on said disk, between which rollers extends a wiper-actuating rod 8, said rod being formed with an ogee bend 26, which, while passing between said rollers causes the fulcrum disc 22 to turn on its pivot stud 23 and act as a fulcrum on which the wiper bar l-is swung upwardly from its horizontal position at the lower edge of the windshield into its vertical position, in which position 25 said wiper bar is guided horizontallyby the engagement of straight portion 21. of the actuating rod with the guide rollers 25.

In the transverse wall I6 of the automobile is secured a bearing 28 in which is journaled a crankshaft 29 on the forward end of which is secured a double crank 30 formed with a pair of crank arms 3| and 32 and a pair of crank pins 33 and 34 disposed diametrically opposite each other, the arms 3| and 32 being connected by the crank- 35 pin 33.. To the crankpin 33 is secured one end of a steel strap 35, which extends over the periphery of the drum ll of the spring crank 1 of the wiper unit I, and is secured at its other end to said drum. To the crankpin 34 is secured one end of a steel strap 36, which extends over the periphery of the drum ll of the spring crank 'l of the wiper unit 2, and is securedat'its other end to said drum.

My speed regulator and governor is illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11 of the drawings and includes gen erally a spring clutch 40,- automatic hydraulic governor 4 I and a manually-operated speed regulater 42.

The clutch 40 comprises a friction wheel 43 and a pair of friction gripping disks 44 and 45 which are normally held in frictional gripping engagement with the wheel 43 by a coil spring 46. The friction wheel 43 is secured on the generator shaft 41 of the automobile 3, and is formed on opposite sides with a pair of beveled friction faces 48 and extend through openings clutch shaft 64, which is iournaled in a bearing 66 in a casing 66, the inner end of the hub 63 forming an external shoulder 61 from the shaft 54, and engaging the adjacent end of said casing66 to provide an end thrust bear-ing for the gripping disk 46. The ripping disk 44 is formed with a pluralityof inwardly-extending shanks 66, which 69 in the gripping disk 46 and are formed with inturned flanges 66' on their inner ends. The expansion -coil spring 46 surrounds the hub 63 of the gripping-disk 46 and bears at its ends respectively against the outer sidepf said gripping disk and the inner side of said shank flanges 66' for drawing the gripping disk 44 toward the gripping disk for gripping the friction wheel 43 between said disks.

The automatic hydraulic governor 4i comprises an oil pump 6|, a hydraulic plunger 62, and "an auxiliary plunger 63, said pump being mounted in the casing 66, and said plungers being slidably iournaled in the tubular clutch shaft 64, there being an end-thrust ball bearing 64 interposed between the adjacent ends of said plunger 62 and said auxiliary plunger 63, and the outer end of said auxiliary plunger bearing against the inner end 62' of the hub 62 of the gripping disk 44. On, the outer end of the plunger 62 is a piston 65 operatively mounted in a cylinder 66 in the casing 66. The oil pump 6| is a gear pump comprising apair of intermeshing gears 61 and 66, mounted within a pump casing 69 forming part of the easing 66, the gear 61 being secured on the inner end of the clutch shaft 64, and the gear 66 being secured on a drive shaft 16 journaled in bearings H and 12 in the casing 66. The casing 56 is formed with an oil reservoir 13 and an oil inlet tube 14 leads from the bottom of said reservoir into the pump casing" at a point at one side of the pump gears 61 and 66 opposite the intermeshing teeth of said gears. From the other side of the pump gears opposite their inter-meshing teeth leads an outlet tube 16 into the outer end of the cylinder 66, which cylinder is provided with an outlet 16 intermediate its ends, there being a groove 16' formed in the lower wall of the cylinder 66 leading from the end of the outlet tube 16 into the outlet".

The manually-operated speed regulator 42 includes a pair of expansible and contractible receptacles 11 and 16, connected together at their adjacent sides by a tube 19; a stem 69, connected to the inner side of the receptacle TI and slidably extending through a bearing 6|, in the outer end wall 62 of the cylinder 66; a coil spring 63 surrounding said stem 66; and a regulating screw 64 threaded in a bearing 66 in the dash 66 of the automobile 3.- The spring 63 bears at its ends respectively against said end cylinder wall 92 and the inner side of the receptacle I1, and urges the receptacle 'll, connecting tube 19 and receptacle 16 outwardly toward the inner end of the regulating screw 64. The receptacle I1 is slidably fitted within a housing 61 in the casing 56. The receptacles TI and I6 and their connecting tube 19 are filled with a suitable expansible fluid, such as compressed air.

The drive shaft 16 is connected by a universal joint 66 to the forward end of a transmission shaft 96, while the rear end of said transmission tion until said the dash of the automobile 3. Upon turning said screw to the right its threaded engagement with the bushing 6! draws the screw forwardly, so that its inner end will engage the outer side of the receptacle .16 and contract the same, whereupon fluid from said receptacle will be forced out through the tube 19 into the receptacle i1 and will expand saidreceptacle forwardly and project the stem 66 forwardly so that its inner end will engage the piston 66 and force said piston plunger 62, ball ,bearing 64 and auxiliary plunger 63 forwardly, whereupon the rear end of said auxiliary plunger will engage the forward end 62' of the hub 62 of the gripping member 44 and force said gripping member outwardly from the gripping member 46 against the tension of the spring 46, and release said gripping members 44 and 45 from the friction wheel 43, so that said wheel will not rotate said gripping members, sleeve 64 and pump gear 61, said friction wheel moving out of frictional contact with said gripping member 45 by reason of the normal slight longitudinal play of the shaft 41, thus preventing rotation of the pump gear 68, drive shaft 10, transmission shaft 99, crank shaft 29 and crank 36, and maintaining the wiper units I and 2 at rest and out of operation, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. 1

To operate my wiper the regulating screw 94 is turned to the left until the screw, by its threaded engagement with the bushing 85 is drawn outwardly sulilciently to release the pressure of the auxiliary plunger 63 from the hub 52 of the clutch of gripping member 44 to allow the clutch spring 46 to move the?- gripping member 44 toward the gripping member 46 to grip the friction wheel 43 between said gripping members, the inward movement of the hub 62 of the gripping member 44 causing the end auxiliary plunger 63, plung 62 and piston 65, and stem 66, receptacle ll, tlfge l9 and receptacle l6 outwardly. The gripping of the friction wheel 43 by the clutch gripping members 44 and 45 causes said wheel to rotate said gripping members, sleeve 64 and pump gear 61, and said pump gear to rotate the pump gear 69, drive shaft 16, transmission'shaft 96, crankshaft 29 and crank 36. Rotation of the crank 36 causes said crank to draw the straps 35 and 36 to unwind said straps from the crank drums ll of the wiper units I and 2 respectively, whereby the spring cranks 9 of said wiper units are swung in one direction, to swing the wiper v rods 6, upwardly about the pivot guides l0 into a vertical position, and then move said wiper bars inwardly toward each other in a horizontal direcwiper bars are adjacent opposite sides of the windshield vertical frame member 92 at the center of the automobile the engagement of the bends 26, in the actuating rods 3, with the guide rollers 25, producing said horizontal movement of said wiper bars. The rotation of the crank 30 continues and as the crank pins 33 and 34 pass their dead centers the crank springs i8 unwind and swing the cranks 9 in an outward direction, whereby the wiper bars 1, through actuating rods 6, are drawn outwardly in a horizontal direction and are then swung downwardly about the pivot guides ill, the engagement of the bends bars 7, through the actuating- 26, in the actuating rods 8, with the guide The swinging movement of the wiper bars I about the pivot guides l causes the outer end of said bars to follow the streamline curvature of the outer sides of the windshield 5, and to wipe the outer portions of the windshield panels 4 and C, while the horizontal movement of the wiper bars causes said bars to wipe the remaining straight inner portions of said panels, thus enabling the wiper bars to wipe the entire surface of said panels.

During operation of my wiper my governor 4| prevents the same om running above a predetermined speed. Thisis done by the oil pump 6|, which normally pumps oil from its reservoir I3 through its inlet tube I4 and through its outlet tube I5 into.the outer end of the cylinder 66 and through the groove and outlet 16 back into said reservoir, butwhen the wiper is driven above a predetermined speed the force of the oil pumped by the pump through outlet tube 15 into the outer end of said cylinder 56 is increased and forces the piston 65, plunger 62, and auxiliary plunger 63 forwardly and the engagement of the forward end of said auxiliary plunger with the inner end of the hub 52 of gripping member 44 forces said gripping member forwardly away from the gripping member 45, whereupon said gripping memhers 44 and 45 release the friction wheel 43 and the driving mechanism and wiper slow down until the force of the oil pumped into the cylinder i by the pump Si is reduced sufllciently to allow the spring 45 to move the g pping disk 44 toward the gripping disc 45 to grip thefriction wheel 43 between said disks to enable said friction wheel to drive the wiper. The forward movement of the piston 85 and parts actuated thereby is limited by means of the outlet I6, which is uncovered when said piston is moved forward sufllciently by excessive pressure of the oil, whereupon the oil is pumpedfrom the outlet tube 15 directly through the cylinder 66 and said outlet I6 back into the reservoir l3.

The diaphragms I1 and II expand, when the piston i5 is moved forwardly, tomaintain the I diaphragm I! in contact with the screw 84 during said movement, so that the diaphragm II will always be in contact with said screw and will not strike against said screw when the piston 65 moves back to its initial position.

I claim:

In a windshield wiper, a wiper bar, a bracket to which said wiper bar is connected, a crank, an actuating rod connected at one end to said crank and to the other end of which is connected said bracket, a guide for said actuating rod comprising a disk turnably mounted below a windshield panel and a pair of rollers mounted on said disk, between which rollers said actuating rod extends, said rod being bent into such form that when said crank is oscillated and said rod is moved between said railers .said wiper bar is first swung from a horizontal position to a vertical position and then moved horizontally in one direction,

then moved horizontally in the other direction and then swung from its vertical position down into a horizontal position for wiping said windshield panel.

LAWRENCE W. WATERS. 

